Korea Expressway Corporation will test direct contracts with food and retail operators at eight highway rest areas in an effort to cut layered commissions. Reporting says tenant businesses currently pay an average of about 33 percent of sales, with some rates reaching 51 percent, even though the corporation's own rental rate to intermediary operators is much lower.
Removing the intermediary is expected to reduce commissions to roughly 8 to 9 percent at the pilot sites. The trial will show whether lower merchant costs translate into cheaper food or more sustainable operations for rest-area businesses.